The invaluable Ben Paarmann of Thinking-East.Net, who has much better contacts within Kyrgyzstan than do I, is being quite the mensch and sending along dispatches from the ground.
Members of KelKel are heading to Jalalabad and have this statement describing the situation (machine translation, original Russian here) on their website. They mention a handful of yurts being posted outside of the still-occupied government building. The rest of the description makes it sound like they’re digging in.
For more, check out Ferghana.ru’s coverage of the protest. Their info also states that the protesters seem ready to stay put.
Also via Ben and his contacts comes the following statement. Keep in mind that the term “White House” does not refer to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as their call for the restoration of RFE/RL Kyrgyz service broadcasts should make clear.
This post was written by...
Nathan Hamm – author of 2040 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan founded Registan.net in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural factors shape risks and opportunities. Follow him on Twitter or drop him a line.
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Wish you well. I do hope you improve your living standards and the calibre of your government officials through as many PEACEFULL means as possible.
I learned to love your country thanks to the presence of great Kyrgyz people (ballet teachers) in Mexico.
Margarita del Carmen Alvarez
Mexico City